"We were all saddened to hear of the closure of Great Houghton School.

"This must be very distressing news for the young people, their parents and of course for the staff who now face an uncertain future.

"I would like to convey our sympathies, support and friendship at this difficult and challenging time."

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: "Any applications for a school place will be dealt with in line with our procedures for in-year applications."

Danielle Stone, Labour's shadow cabinet member for education at Northamptonshire County Council, said: "The news is alarming and means that parents have limited timescales to organise alternative education provision for their children.

"The announcement that the Great Houghton School has gone into administration shows why the free market is completely inappropriate in education."

Administrators have yet to come forward to make a statement on the future of the school.

Also, neither the school governors nor head teacher Jane Lancaster Adlam have made a statement.

Great Houghton School, which was founded in 1955, provided pre-nursery, primary and secondary education for children aged three months up to 16 years.